Did This Yankees' Hurler Find His Groove?

This Yankee starter was solid on Sunday after working on his mechanics.

Aug 11, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday's game was an extremely important start for Marcus Stroman.

The New York Yankees' righty was in a rut; in eight starts from June 16 to August 2, Stroman had a 6.87 ERA and 5.96 FIP, allowing 49 hits and 31 runs (28 earned) in 36.2 innings pitched. In his previous two starts, he pitched a combined six innings and allowed 12 runs on 17 hits, with just three strikeouts against two walks.

This led to Yankees manager Aaron Boone pushing back one of Stroman's starts. The 33-year-old was initially going to pitch in the team's doubleheader against the Los Angeles Angels on August 7, but his turn in the rotation would be skipped over so Stroman could work on his pitching mechanics, specifically with the lower half of his body.

With eight days of rest, Stroman prepared diligently for his next start against the Texas Rangers on Sunday, and it paid off.

The fiery righty threw 89 pitches and shut out the Rangers for the first five innings before allowing an RBI double to Corey Seager in the sixth inning, which ended his day. Ultimately, Stroman was the winning pitcher in New York's 8-7 victory.

Sunday @STR0 in the park. pic.twitter.com/jcFyIL2Mx2

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 11, 2024

Boone was pleased with what he saw from Stroman's performance.

"Stro was good. He stayed out of the heart of the plate a lot more," New York's skipper said in his postgame presser. "I thought his stuff was crisp. I probably went a little long with him today because he hasn’t been anywhere near that pitch level in a while. So maybe he was a little tired out there going back out there in the sixth, but I thought he stayed away from dangerous places.

"He was able to put the ball in the ground when he needed to, and also throw enough strikes."

When talking about his successful start, Stroman praised his catcher, Austin Wells, for his pitch-calling.

"I felt Wells was doing a great job mixing pitches," Stroman said after the game. "I just felt confident. I felt I was making good pitches when I needed to. I felt I was back in my groove a little bit. Definitely good to get the win."

Stroman didn't get too specific in what he did in his bullpen sessions, saying it was "a lot of things".

"I’ve been in this game for 10 years, so I feel like I know my body," Stroman continued. "When I’m off, a lot of it reverts to the weight room. It comes down to feel for me, feeling a certain way on the mound mechanically. Once I feel that way, I can constantly deliver any pitch to the plate."

Marcus Stroman today vs the Rangers:

5.0 IP | 4 H | 1 ER | 3 BB | 1 K

Stroman reflects on his Sunday afternoon outing 👇 pic.twitter.com/yHtQ1qa2n4

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 11, 2024

There is always room for improvement in most pitching performances, though, and that is still true for the 10-season veteran. While he was able to successfully induce weak contact, Stroman can fare even better if he fine-tunes his control a bit more; he only struck out one batter while walking three. This may be the result of Stroman's tendency to attempt perfectly located pitches on the outside corner with two strikes, which leads to opposing batters working the count when he misses.

Nonetheless, Stroman's start was highly encouraging for a Yankee team that is desperate for quality pitching lately; if he can build off of this performance, then he should be in great shape once the postseason rolls around.